Mark Your Calendar

The next Building Energy Codes and Standards Committee (BECS) Meeting will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, May 13-14, 2026, at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel, Portland, Maine.  Information regarding the hotel, meeting registration and preliminary agenda has been made available. Please let us know if you have not received the detailed meeting information.

Commercial Building ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2025, Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings Published.

The ASHRAE March 31, 2026  announcement that the Standard 90.1-2025, Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings has been released by ASHRAE for distribution triggers the DOE by the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA), to review this published edition and issue a determination as to whether the updated edition will improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings.  DOE is provided 12 months to conduct its review and publish its determination in the Federal Register after the updated model code is published. ECPA also requires States to review and/or update their energy codes following the publication of an affirmative DOE determination. While AGA was successful in eliminating a number of proposals during the development phase of this edition, such as changing the Scope to add coverage for greenhouse gas emissions, including transportation (primarily including Electric Vehicle coverage), electric heat pump baseline requirements, electric ready requirements,  there are still provisions in the appendix of the 90.1 standard that provide provisions that are in conflict with the existing Scope. For example, this edition includes a new appendix that “is  intended to be adopted by jurisdictions or rating authorities wanting to achieve net zero operational energy emissions (NZOEE) buildings with the energy code over one to three code cycles. The method requires the use of the performance compliance path and includes two performance metric targets. The Site Performance Energy Index Site (PEI_site) provides an efficiency backstop. The Greenhouse Gas Performance Emissions Index (PEI_CO2e) measures zero net operational emissions achievement. The modifications establish the NZOEE performance requirements for the code cycle.”  While this provision is non-mandatory and not included in the compliance requirements if it is adopted by a state or jurisdiction, it is outside the Scope of the 90.1 standard  by including greenhouse gas emissions reductions that will most likely negatively impact affordability to achieve compliance. It is these types of appendix requirements that AGA has  and continues to oppose inclusion in the 90.1 standard that provide a path to add  requirements outside the Scope of the standard, avoid a cost benefit analysis, can increase the energy use of the building and can be costly and complex to accomplish.  Additionally, ASHRAE  already sponsors  the ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings that provides the vehicle for including provisions that are outside the Scope of the Standard 90.1. It appears that the DOE can use this required determination that must be finalized in 12 months, to exclude these provisions as well as any other Appendix that are outside the Scope of the federally mandated 90.1 standard.  As noted above, DOE will be publishing a draft determination for public comment that will provide the opportunity to comment on maintaining the current Scope of the 90.1 standard, cost effective building energy usage as intended by EPCA. We will provide updates as DOE proceeds to develop a determination on this edition of the 90.1 standard.